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Request from group: Buy a server to process multiple Matlab calculation simultaneously
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Considerations, expectations, and outstanding questions:
- Windows Server or Linux server OS?
- Past testing by researchers have yielded faster processing on servers running Linux than Windows. Some researchers only comfortable working within Windows.
- If Windows, Chemistry IT must work out the "how", with group's input. Examples of unknowns:
- How will user accounts and their access work? How many simultaneously? Per user accounts or shared accounts? How manage contention, if desired by group?
- Coordinate There will be monthly (or every 3 months) shutdown periods to ensure baseline patching and OS, file-share and hardware checking.
- Chemistry IT will coordinate with group, as we do for many other servers we manage.
- Any value in Dual 10-Gigabit Ethernet?
- Warranty upgrades (all non-NBD):
- 3 => 4 years: +$169
3 => 5 years: +$434
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| Criteria | Current deskop's specs | ~4 TIMES the desktop specs is minumum proposed server | Cost increase if go up about a level or so | Borrowed Dell's specs | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cores, hyper-threading (HT) | 4 cores (one processor)No HT i5-6500, 3.20 GHz (Not HT capable) | Total 16 cores (Two, 8-cores each)HT-capable Each: Xeon Silver 4110, 2.10GHz 11MB Cache (85W) HT-capable | +$460: 16 total cores => 20 total cores
16 total cores => 24 total cores See chart below for options with more cores, focusing on slowest (thus cheaper) speeds.
*Availability delay, as of 12/22/17Also, see section below chart for why we are pricing two-processor server options instead of single- or four-processor servers. | 16 cores (Two, 8 cores each) HT-capable Each: The now-older processor, Xeon E5-2620v42620 v4 2.10GHz 20MB Cache (85W) | Hyper-threading (HT) is useful to the group. Group tested performance between HT being turned on and off. With HT, test system showed 32 cores. 25 of these could be used without saturation, and thus without delaying processing time. Without HT, only 16 cores available so maximum much less than 25 effectively used under HT. Notes:
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Storage All SSD, unless otherwise noted. | 500 GB SSD | 2TB is 4 times the space: 2.0TB Samsung 960 PRO M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (cost is $1,100) This | Minimum option listed is the fastest option since combines OS and data on fast bus. | However, this may be the maximum TBs of storage doing it this way. (Can dig deeper, if necessary to decision-making.) If need more than 2TB total, must use more complicated multiple storage option. Example: OS only: 512GB Samsung 960 PRO M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (cost is $399). AND choose a single main storage drive. For example: Data ONLY fast SSD:
Data ONLY slow spinning, compared to current desktop: | SSD (size n/a, at 400GB) | If Windows Server used, buy $xx ~$100 software on server (free clients) to enable moving large amounts of data to server more speedily. Large amounts of data not needed to be stored on server, nor moved from server (. Instead, simply deleted from server after processing). |
| RAM | 32 GB | 128 GB | $xx: 128 GB => 256 GB? | 32 GB | ||
| Other | Required: UPS ($xxx) (What capacity?) Option: Redundant power supply unit +$224) | n/a | ||||
| Total cost, approx. | ~$1,000? (*4 => $4,000) | ~$5,500 | n/a | $xxx |
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Approximate price increase buying TWO processors compared to 8-core Xeon Silver 4110 NOTE: Can also get a server with just ONE processor (at half the marginal cost), if core-count is sufficient. | Processor (all Intl Xeon) | Actual core count EACH processor Obtain total count by multiply by 2 since 2 procs. All HT-capable | Other specs |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 (base-line, for price comparison) | Silver 4110 | 8-core => 16 | 2.10GHz 11.00MB Cache (85W) (Same price as 4-core 2.60GHz 8.25MB Cache (85W) version) |
| +460 | Silver 4114 | 10-core => 20 | 2.20GHz 13.75MB Cache (85W) |
| +1,200 | Silver 4116 | 12-core => 24 | 2.10GHz 16.50MB Cache (85W) |
| +1,628 | Gold 5115 | 10-core => 20 | 2.40GHz 13.75MB Cache (85W) |
| +1,960 (availability delay) | Gold 5118 | 12-core => 24 | 2.30GHz 16.50MB Cache (105W) |
| +3,060 (availability delay) | Gold 6126 | 12-core => 24 | 2.60GHz 19.25MB Cache (125W) |
| +3,280 | Gold 6130 | 16-core => 32 | 2.10GHz 22.00MB Cache (125W) |
| +5,060 | Gold 6138 | 20-core => 40 | 2.00GHz 27.50MB Cache (125W) |
| +7,560 | Gold 6152 | 22-core => 44 | 2.10GHz 30.25MB Cache (140W) |
| +6,560 (availability delay) | Platinum 8153 | 16-core => 32 | 2.00GHz 22.00MB Cache (125W) |
| +15,660 (availability delay), and +$400 chipset | Platinum 8158 | 12-core => 24 | 3.00GHz 24.75MB Cache (150W) |
| +10,160 (, and +$400 server)chipset | Platinum 8160 | 24-core => 48 | 2.10GHz 33.00MB Cache (150W) |
| +13,560 (, and +$400 server)chipset | Platinum 8164 | 26-core => 52 | 2.00GHz 35.75MB Cache (150W) |
| +16,660 (, and +$400 server)chipset | Platinum 8170 | 26-core => 52 | 2.10GHz 35.75MB Cache (165W) |
| +19,760 (, and +$400 server)chipset | Platinum 8176 | 28-core => 56 | 2.10GHz 38.50MB Cache (165W) |
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- Currently, only older processors are currently as an option with four-processor servers.
- Server prices START at about $12,000, for 32 total cores.
- Core counts and price upgrades are "times 4", not "times 2".
What if need more than 2TB total storage?
If need more than 2TB total, likely must use more complicated, multiple storage option.
- We can dig deeper to confirm this, if necessary to decision-making.
- More storage likely will be slower, even is sticking to SSDs.
An example of an option to get more than 2TB storage:
First: Choose boot drive, which can be small. For example:
- OS only: 512GB Samsung 960 PRO M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (cost is $399).
THEN: Choose a single main storage drive. Some examples and their costs:
- Data ONLY fast SSD:
- 3.84TB => $1,500 - 2,100
- 7.68TB => $3,000
- Data ONLY slow spinning, compared to current desktop's much faster SSD:
- 4TB => $200
- 8TB => $350
- 12TB => $650
Status
10/5/17: Oliver met with Mahdi <mh2356> and Kushal <ks2285>. Action steps to have Peng review and refine:
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